The Army’s plan to award a 20-year contract to buy power from the ReEnergy Holdings’ Fort Drum biomass power plant on post is being greeted as a sign of stability for the region’s forestry industry.
Eric W. Carlson, president of the Empire State Forest Products Association, said predictable demand for forestry residues to burn at the plant gives business owners and investors confidence.
“It gives them the assurance that they need to invest in upgrading their equipment,” Mr. Carlson said. “We need large infusions of capital and training to get young entrepreneurs into the business. We need markets like this.”
The Army plan calls for the purchase of up to 28 megawatts of electricity — enough to supply all of the post’s energy needs. When finalized, it will be the Army’s largest renewable-power project.
The Army contract is in addition to the power that the 60-megawatt-capacity plant already supplies to the grid. The company sells renewable-energy credits through the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, an initiative to obtain 30 percent of the state’s electricity from renewable sources by 2015.
From RenewablesBiz: https://www.renewablesbiz.com/article/14/02/fort-drum-biomass-power-deal-aid-area-forest-industry